2014 decluttering thread (part 3)

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Can I join you? I have lurked a bit and made some progress getting rid of the bigger stuff but its the things that become "invisible" that are harder to deal with. For example - I had a jar of shells on the bathroom windowsill. It wasnt a particularly pretty thing and I cant even remember where it came from, it was just gathering dust.

I binned it today - and bought a nice basket to put all DS2s hair stuff in its place. The bathroom looks so much tidier now that all his hair gels arent scattered everywhere.

Its such a simple thing but has made me feel so much better. I going to try and keep this going this week as I know there are many more things that I can easily get rid of.

kdalwayskint

Well I made the flapjack yesterday and today banana muffins and apple rock cakes so de-cluttered the fruit bowl!

I have sorted out my wardrobe, I have a definite ebay stash - need to organise some time to do some listing, a bag of clothes and three pairs of shoes to go to the charity shop, and as bag of carp which is more in the bin.

I have also gone through the dreaded sock basket, paired loads but still have loads of odd ones, why is that?!

taffy1969

Good evening all I would love to join you!!! I've been reading for a while now and really need to pull my finger out!
I have the whole house to de-clutter. We moved in just over 3.5 years ago and the move was brought forward 2 weeks so everything was boxed and moved rather than sorting beforehand. I have just ignored everything til now as I know it is such a mammoth task, add to that stuff coming in over the last 3.5 years and you can just imagine....
I am going to breakdown each room and list them all in a little notebook. This will be a massive list but I think I will probably see more progress this way rather than doing it by room.
My 'light bulb' moment came tonight when I went to visit my uncle who has renal dementia and sadly has deteriorated very quickly and hasn't got long left. I sat looking at him and decided that I need to stop procrastinating and get on with everything I need to do!!!
So I'm now going to bed to start my list, I feel this may take a while though.
I have sorted my bank tonight and I have worked out that by the May I should have paid off my credit card and actually have some money in the bank!!
I will update once I have crossed something off my list, wish me luck....

flyingmamma

I've had a busy few weeks and not been able to get much done ... Have had workmen in and house been turned upside down! 4 bags of kids clothes lurking under my bed are off to CS in the am and broken iron , rusted scooter and shoe rack r for the dump... When I say shoe rack it was 3 bits of wood dH nailed together .. The cat jumped on it and it fell apart. Hav had trouble with my dyson so no Hoover not helping... Still under warranty so hoping for a solution ASAP! Went through my wardrobe tonight and hav put scarves and bulky coats away til next year... Probably snow next week but it's been wet rather than freezing this winter and I've not needed them. Keep up the good work all ... Ur posts really encourage me

jetplane

Phew just reading some of these posts wears me out Husband is now relaying garden paths, lawns and fixing the fences rather than venture back in the loft. So I have decluttered the book shelves and magazine baskets and sorted out all of my recipe books and decided to have another go at meal planning.

I've also done my grandsons books and toy boxes, found all of the bits and donated the stuff he no longer plays with. I could ebay this stuff but its too much hassle once the fees are paid and the local facebook pages want it for next to nothing so I would rather cut my time and my losses and donate. I fear my local charity may turn me away soon due to the extra work I'm creating

Today I'm taking two bags of good books and a bag of baby toys to the CS. The good magazines are going to the GP surgery, everything else is going to the recycling depot.

Reading other posts I can see that the paperwork really needs tackling and this would probably be very MSE as I could move bank accounts, reduce outgoings etc. So if I can face it that will be my next target

pollys

Good morning, half term here. The boys decluttered their rooms yesterday and they filled 1 1/2 black bags. I cleaned and decluttered the bathroom and managed to fill a carrier bag. What can be recycled has been and will be collected today. The rest is rubbish.

I have lots and lots of washing to catch up on. Cleaning bedrooms seems to create washing in our house!

DH is on nightshift so I'll be tip-toeing round quietly decluttering.

Think it will be the kitchen cupboards and the ironing pile today.

Have a great day, will catch up later.

Pollys x

mrs-moneypenny

morning all
DD2 visited with her fella yeterday and i managed to declutter some stuff on them
3 fitted sheets
a complete duvet pillowcase and matching curtains set
3 construction kits
a crayola chest full of drawing stuff - pens pencils rulers rubbers stencils etc
a small box of little toys
and some magazines.

dads birthday over the weekend so managed to reuse a gift bag from previous fathers day.

aimeemum

Morning all......

2 big bags went to the CS (well into the car and are not allowed back in the house - hubby will take them on his way home today) yesterday and I now have quite a lot of my living room back :j

I'm running out of stuff to sort through - it's all fiddly little stuff that will need to be done of an evening when the kiddy-winks are asleep but I can handle that. I still have a bathroom full of stuff destined for the loft, but I can handle that....hubby gets more annoyed with it than I do but it's his job to move it lol

Job for today - sort out the garden. Kiddies are going to 'help' which will wear them out a little lol Got loads of 'rubbish' that needs to be moved. Our BBQ is at the moment hidden under stuff that's accumulated since the weather turned in October. I don't know how it ends up out there. 6m of the year we don't even look at the garden let alone use it! :mad:

Have a lovely day everyone. Sun is out and the sky is blue....spring-y feeling!

P.s. is anyone planning their 1st March Spring Clean? My Mum used to do this every year. 1st March, strip the beds, open the windows, move all the furniture and vacuum etc etc. Don't know if it's just my crazy Mother or a general thing. I do it now out of habit! lol

Fosterdog

I'm only just joining the thread, 2014 is our year to declutter as much as possible.

So far since January we have

1: Sorted through all CDs, backed most up onto external hard drives and figured with digital music the way it is now we may never play a CD again so all but a few faves went off to CS

2: Sorted through kids stuff, my step children are now too old for the toys we had so given between friends kids and CS except for one of two for babysitting duties.

3: Same with kids books they are now too old for and clothes they have outgrown.

4: De-cluttered huge built in bathroom cabinet. I didn't know one place could hold that many half used shampoos and conditioners. Now neatly organised and making my way through leftovers, only three half bottles left to finish.

5: Culled my makeup, I very rarely use the stuff so it goes off while quite full. Binned most and streamlined to a few goes with anything type essentials.

6: Fully cleaned out fridge and freezer, reorganised both so no more food gets lost at the back for months (years in the case of a rogue sausage in the freezer) Rest of the kitchen done back in October when we fitted a new kitchen with more storage.

7: Culled clothes, 5 full CS bags between us.

Altogether quite a productive start to the year.

Still to do:
Organise dresser
Declutter utility room
Declutter spare bedrooms (also known as dumping grounds or pits of doom)
Declutter under stairs
OH to cull and organise his tools, seriously he has six big toolboxes with barely anything in them but all tools randomly scattered around the house, shed and garden. He can never find what he needs so buys new and has several of the same items.
Fully declutter the shed and garden.

Seems like a lot still to do and they are bigger jobs than what we've already done but we still have ten months, certainly doable. I've probably forgotten several things on the to do list too.

mrs-moneypenny

welcome fosterdog sounds like youve already made a great start